Phil Ochs, “Links On The Chain,” which takes mid-60’s labor unions to task for resisting the Civil Rights movement. In the liner notes, Ochs wrote:
Historically, labor unions have been a catalyst to social change, and in my opinion have a definite responsibility to be in the vanguard of important battles. When the civil rights struggle came to a head, they had become such a part of the establishment that the old lions of the Left were the new pillars of the segregated structure. But I’m sure they’ll be able to straighten out this embarrassment at one of their many White House meetings.
“Mama Was A Working Man,” Becky Hobbs. “We didn’t call it ‘liberation,’ we just called it ‘love’ back then. A gentle heart and two strong hands, Mama was a working man.”
“Casey Jones” — another early Pete Seeger labor song recorded with the Almanac Singers. Casey Jones refuses to join the railroad strike and ends up in a bad place.
